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Colored Gem Education
Coming soon.
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| Stainless Steel Brushed/Polished Bracelet |
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Gemstone quality and value are evaluated according to the "four Cs": color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
Color
A common misperception in judging gems is people assume that the darker the color, the better the stone. That isn't true: color can be too dark, like some sapphires that look more black than blue.A much better rule of thumb is the brighter and more rich and vivid the color the better. In general, within each gemstone variety, a clear, medium-tone, very intense and saturated primary color is the most preferred.
Clarity
Clear transparent gemstones with no visible flaws are of the most value. Some gemstone varieties, like emerald and red tourmaline, are rarely without inclusions of some kind so the price structure takes this into account. And some gemstones are valued for their inclusions! Phenomenal gemstones owe their stars and eyes to inclusions. Tiny inclusions reflecting back light put the eye in cat's-eye chrysoberyl and the star in star sapphire. Inclusions can also be a birthmark, telling us where a particular gemstone was mined.
Cut
A well-cut faceted gemstone reflects light back evenly across its surface area when held face up. If the stone is too deep and narrow, areas will be dark. If it is too shallow and wide, parts of the stone will be washed out and lifeless. The best way to judge cut is to look at similar gemstones next to each other
Carat
Gemstones are generally sold by weight not by size. The price will be per carat, which is one-fifth of a gram. Some gems are heavier than others so the same weight stone may be a different size! The carat weight also affects the price: large gemstones are more rare, so the price per carat is higher.
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